1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an applicator and, more particularly, to a nail enamel applicator to apply a nail enamel to a user's nails.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional nail enamel applicator in accordance with the prior art shown in FIG. 8 comprises a resilient tube 30 having an open top portion 31, a hollow adaptor 41 having an open lower end 411 mounted on the top portion 31 of the tube 30 and an upper end provided with a through hole 413, a hollow pen head 44 mounted in the adaptor 41 and having an upper end provided with a hollow tip 442 extending through and protruding outwardly from the through hole 413 of the adaptor 41, a top cap 43 mounted on the adaptor 41 to cover the tip 442 of the pen head 44, and a brush 42 mounted in the adaptor 41 and having an upper end provided with a hollow pipe 422 inserted into an open lower end 443 of the pen head 44 and a lower end provided with multiple bristles 426 extending into the tube 30.
The tube 30 has an inside containing a nail enamel therein. The top portion 31 of the tube 30 has an outer wall provided with an outer thread 32. The adaptor 41 has an inner wall provided with a stop shoulder 414 a first inner thread 412 and a second inner thread 415. The first inner thread 412 of the adaptor 41 is screwed onto the outer thread 32 of the tube 30. The tip 442 of the pen head 44 is connected to an inside of the pen head 44. The open lower end 443 of the pen head 44 is connected to the tip 442 of the pen head 44 and has an outer wall provided with a stop flange 441 abutting the stop shoulder 414 of the adaptor 41 to locate the pen head 44 in the adaptor 41. The top cap 43 has an open lower end mounted on the adaptor 41. The top cap 43 has a top portion having an inner side provided with a sealing aperture 431 to allow insertion of the tip 442 of the pen head 44. The upper end of the brush 42 is further provided with a ring member 421 abutting the stop flange 441 of the pen head 44. The ring member 421 of the brush 42 is provided with an inner thread screwed into the second inner thread 415 of the adaptor 41. The upper end of the brush 42 is further provided with a ring-shaped plug 423 inserted into the top portion 31 of the tube 30. The pipe 422 of the brush 42 has an inner portion provided with a conduit 425 connected to the tip 442 of the pen head 44. The brush 42 has a peripheral wall provided with a plurality of connecting holes 424 connected to the conduit 425 of the pipe 422.
In operation, after the adaptor 41 is removed from the top portion 31 of the tube 30, the brush 42 is detached from the top portion 31 of the tube 30, so that the nail enamel on the bristles 426 of the brush 42 can be used to paint a user's nails in a planar manner. Alternatively, after the top cap 43 is removed from the adaptor 41, the tip 442 of the pen head 44 is exposed outwardly from the through hole 413 of the adaptor 41. In such a manner, when the tube 30 is squeezed by the user, the nail enamel in the tube 30 is forced to pass through the connecting holes 424 of the brush 42, the conduit 425 of the pipe 422 and the inside of the pen head 44 into the tip 442 of the pen head 44 and is sprayed outwardly from the tip 442 of the pen head 44 to paint the user's nails in a linear manner.
However, the tip 442 of the pen head 44 is loosely fitted in the through hole 413 of the adaptor 41 to define a gap between the tip 442 of the pen head 44 and the through hole 413 of the adaptor 41 so that air is easily introduced through the gap into the tube 30, thereby easily solidifying and decreasing the quality of the nail enamel in the tube 30. In addition, the sealing aperture 431 of the top cap 43 has a smaller size so that when the top cap 43 is mounted on the adaptor 41 to cover the tip 442 of the pen head 44, the tip 442 of the pen head 44 is not easily inserted into the sealing aperture 431 of the top cap 43. Further, the tip 442 of the pen head 44 is easily distorted or deformed by the top cap 43 during assembly.